Any Lock Can Be Picked

I am working on a presentation in which I plan on touching on the power of networking. Through the course of some of my presentation research, I found this great quote online.

"...it is important to realize that any lock can be picked with a big enough hammer."

What is even cooler is that it is supposedly from the Sun System and Network Admin Manual.

For some great visual images of networks (including the one on this post), go to Visual Complexity.

PS. Just so we are clear. I actually did go and search the Sun System and Network Admin Manual - but I couldn't find that quote. Regardless of the source...it made my slide deck.

You're On My W-Hit List

Weekend Hit List

1. As you may have (or may not have) noticed. I am a fan of the Scott Adams blog. He had a pretty damn funny post this weekend regarding internet dating sites. He asks his readers: "If you had to design a dating web site that matched people on just two criteria, what would those criteria be?" Very funny. Be sure to check out the comments he receives back - they are sometimes just as good as the actual post.
2. I haven't tried this yet but I am sure it will be kind of interesting if I do. If you "own" a website, check out Google's Site Map.
3. I'm pretty curious about Microsoft's Origami project (along with the rest of the world that does not automatically hate anything with Bill's name on it). The website is vague, yet really well done. You can find other websites with rumors, commercials, etc... but the actual site is just damn simple and simply good. Go here.
4. I have (tangentially) mentioned before that I have bought into the personalized Google start page. You might want to buy into it as well. Anyway, one of the feeds on my start page is the Wikihow pages. I toy with taking it off...but really, some of the topics that people post are just priceless. Try this one: How to Slice a Banana Before It Is Peeled - the author of this particular post actually encourages you to practice this. Just plain weird.
   
5. One of the potential music finds of my past week: Hotel Lights, from Chapel Hill, NC. Download "Let Me Be The One" on songs:illinois. Suave mellow indie pop.
6. Do yourself a favor and go grab the track (Texas To Ohio) by Damien Jurado at So Much Silence. Stop by DJ's website here and grab three more tunes.
7. Jon Stewart is everywhere these days, including SI.com where he waxes poetic on the similarities between Nutella and Soccer. This quote is truly priceless: "To me, it's probably more like Nutella. The rest of the world clearly loves it and puts it on almost everything, but here in America we're like, 'I don't know, man, it tastes like almonds.'"
8. New Pearl Jam single. Yes. I am serious. I would click here while it lasts.
   

"I'm away from my desk right now...

...and currently in Costa Rica." That was the automated response from our offer on the latest house bid. So what does this mean? The offer just hangs out there and it is no longer binding. It's an interesting situation.

BFO BOCTAOE

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau


If you had told me 4 weeks ago that I would even consider buying a house with known, major foundation problems. I would have asked if you were smoking it or injecting it.

1. Now though, I'll just refer you to here and say, BOCTAOE to that premise.
2. Then, I'll ask you to read this and I would say, BFO BOCTAOE.
   

We find out tomorrow if the bid on this house is taken. Watch this space.

Kaiser-Lambeau

Check out this photo from the US v Poland match. Surreal.


Can you tell I am pumped up for the cup? I'll be there in person, watching US v Italy and US v Ghana (as well as the Round of 16 game that we better make). Back to Poland - We really held the second half well. The ability to hold a 1 goal lead for 45 minutes is key in the show. Non-soccer fans probably think this is a recipe for "boredom," but from where I was sitting, it was anything but that. More soccer links of note:

• Critique of ESPN broadcasters during the game. Yes, the guy actually said these two phrases: "well defensed" & "we’re told the weather will be very different during this summer’s World Cup!"
• Really quite a funny explanation of the off-side rule. Check your political correctness at the door.
  
• I just started reading this site - it's got it - plus, everyone agrees that, seriously, the ESPN guy was not good.
  
• USA Today has a soccer homepage. Seriously. I am not kidding. Really.

Getting Rich with Firefox

"I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me." John Cleese

I'm going to start a new business. It wasn't my idea, but I don't care. The business model: sell things you get for free. The business is all based on the fact that someone out there is actually succeeding at selling Firefox. And Firefox doesn't care. I definitely recommend reading this if you are into open source software.

Now I just need a list of free things to sell.

Don't Tread on Me: US vs Poland

The US Men's National soccer team beat Poland today in Kaiserslautern, Germany, 1-0. There was a snow storm in the final 20 minutes and the 13,395 fans appeared to be living it up. The snow got so bad that the officials pulled out the yellow, high-resolution ball in the 80th minute.

Player thoughts, in no order (and not all of them, just the ones that made impressions on me):

• Dempsey: Good game, dangerous all around. Has a knack for drawing the foul, and doing so in some good places. Potentially the most creative dribble our squad has. Gotta like him and I hope he starts in the cup.
• Keller: No fail defense, wall in the back with a few strong saves in the 1^st half.
  
• Cherundolo: My vote for man of the match. Dangerous out of the back, strong D. All around, all over the field. Near miss on the first half free kick.
• Lewis: Good defense, needs to improve his crosses.
• Onyewu: Great game – but scares the bejeezus out of me because he puts sleeper holds on guys in the box. One day I fear the PK.
• Beasley: Looked weak to me. Touch was off all game. As usual, he has the potential and you can see it…but in this particular case, potential was all it was.
• Twellman: Got the assist. Can’t argue there. However…he seemed otherwise quiet most of the game.
• Johnson: Did he play? I think he got lost.
• Convey: Exploded on the pitch as a sub and ate some Polish lunch. I liked him more than Beasley.

The US is on its way to the World Cup in Germany. In preparation, we have played to following teams: Canada, Norway, Japan, Guatemala, and Poland. We have yet to lose in our prep games. Today was an allocated day for international friendlies in preparation for the World Cup. Results from the other teams we will play this summer (Ghana, Czech Rep, Italy):

• Mexico beat Ghana 1-0
• Czech Republic tied Turkey 2-2
• Italy beat Germany 4-1

Couple resources for you:
My Soccer Blog - has all the updates on the international friendlies. This is my wife's favorite.
Du Nord - Tons of links to external resources. Good launching point for your soccer needs.
World Cup Blog - I stream this to my google personal start page. Good place to jump to various country info.

Remaining games on the road to Germany: Germany, Jamaica, and 3 more to come - all prior to the big show.

Don't Tread on Me.
See you in Germany.